


Selcouth

by Blackprose



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys Kissing, Boys being goofy, Fishing, Fluff, M/M, Noctis POV, Set before the boys go to Altissia, Skinny Dipping, discovery of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 08:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11963649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackprose/pseuds/Blackprose
Summary: Noctis wastes the day fishing, convincing himself he's in no hurry to rush towards his kingly obligation.





	Selcouth

**Author's Note:**

> Define Selcouth: Strange, unusual, rare; unfamiliar yet also, marvelous, wondrous. 
> 
> This is a fic inspired from [this art](http://myoutsumi.tumblr.com/post/164043842578/prompto-and-noct-go-for-a-late-night-skinny-dip) by Myoutsumi on tumblr. It gave me big feels. I set it as my phone background and kept staring at it so I felt compelled to write something about it.

The first thing Noctis notices about Galdin Quay is its beauty. The second thing he notices is the humidity. The third thing he notices is the smell of fried fish and garlic wafting from the fancy looking restaurant out on the water.

They had been on the road for about five hours. It's not long compared to other trips they've taken, but it's long enough that Noctis’ legs ache from sitting and his back is knotted from trying to find a comfortable enough position to sleep in without leaning on Gladiolus. Noct stretches his arms over his head, and watches his friends do the same.

“How ’bout we try some local surf?” Prompto’s first thought is of food. Noct’s got to agree that it smells pretty damn good. He has a better idea, though.

“How ’bout we catch some ourselves?” An ulterior motive with two great side benefits: Noctis gets to fish, and he gets to eat whatever culinary masterpiece Ignis cooks up from said seafood.

“We got bigger fish to fry,” Gladio says, rolling his shoulders to loosen the muscles. Noct mimics the action, Gladio’s demonstration reminding him of their training sessions and proper stretching techniques. His neck aches something fierce. If he told his friends that, they'd just chide him, and Prompto would pull out his camera to show off his newest in the on-going series of Noctis Lucis Caelum’s sleeping faces in the car. Prompto always jokes it's going to make him big money when Noct is an established King. Noct tries not to think about how bitter the thought makes him; he doesn't care about the pictures going public (though he'd rather they didn't,) he's more concerned with the idea that this trip they're on has a definite end.

It isn't just for the sake of being young and alive.

“Right, in case you’ve forgotten, we’ve come here to cast off, not cast a line,” Ignis adds, adjusting his glasses and pulling at the edges of his gloves. Typical Iggy to never miss an opportunity to scold Noct in that knowing tone of his.

“Fish sounds good, though.” Noct crosses his arms over his chest.

“So does a balanced meal,” Ignis retorts, not missing a beat.

Noct sighs, dramatically and audibly. He had heard the overall consensus; however, his focus is on the beachfront. From up here in the parking lot, he can see over the entire beach, and he's using the vantage point to hungrily look for his newest fishing spot.

Through practise and general know-how (Noct considers himself more than a fishing enthusiast at this point,) his eyes pinpoint the perfect dock for fishing with more accuracy than Prompto with a sniper rifle.

“Okay, we see that dreamy look,” Gladio quips with his usual smug demeanor. Noctis takes that as permission, even though it probably isn't. Before waiting for a response, Noct extends his arm, summoning his sword from the armiger. It appears, glowing unearthly blue and almost intangible as he wraps his fingers around the hilt and throws it past the cars in the parking lot, past the set of stairs, and halfway to the beach.

Noct has half a moment to look over at his friends’ expressions before warping away towards his sword in a flash of glass-like glitter with a tingle in his stomach.

Gladio has a half-smug, half-surprised expression as his unwavering, sentinel-like pose is only compromised by that frown on his face. He’s sure Gladio is going to be impressed with how far his reach is now, if anything. Prompto looks taken aback, surprised and excitable (as always,) hands up like he’s some RPG character trying to figure out blocking for the first time. He looks like a strong wind would tip him over. Ignis, however…. Ignis isn’t surprised at all, his eyes making direct contact with Noct’s as he flashes away. He fully expects a lecture later about sword etiquette in cities.

He drops his sword as soon as his boots twist into soft sand. It falls to the ground with a muffled plop, then disappears into nothingness, slotting back into the armiger like a puzzle piece. He's sprinting, trying to take advantage of this head start so he can get to the fishing spot as soon as possible.

Nothing any royal advisor could say would dissuade Noctis from casting a line. As soon as he’s gotten to the dock (the sign says it’s called Vannath Coast,) he purchases some lures designed to entice giant trevally.

By the time the boys have caught up, Noct already has his line in the water.

“Dude, you gotta warn us next time.” Prompto’s the first to speak, doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

“Indeed. There are enemies on this beach, Noct.” Ignis doesn’t even sound winded, but by the sweat on his brow, he’s put-off.

“C’mon, I can handle the pipsqueaks,” Noct retorts before a tug on the line distracts him from the rest of the conversation.

They’ve got time; they’ve got lots of time to let Noct enjoy life’s small moments. He knows he’s headed to his wedding. Somewhere in the depths of his mind, it’s chiming with each passing day. Each day he wakes up, Noct _knows_ where he’s headed. He just… doesn’t want to acknowledge it, yet. He wants to continue this stupid journey with his dumb friends and believe in the lie that if you drive fast enough, life can’t ever catch you.

The retainers are used to this by now, as hours pass while Noct, apparently unperturbed by the ache in his feet from standing too damn long, continues to catch every fish in the coast.

Hour One

Gladio settles in with a book, while Ignis sharpens his cooking knives.

Hour Two

Ignis has moved on from sharpening his cooking knifes to working on his dual daggers.

Hour Three

Noct has caught four fish. Prompto’s gained five levels in King’s Knight. He claims he’s winning. To Noct’s dismay, numbers don’t lie.

Hour Four

Gladio decides to go participate in some easy hunts to make some cash.

Hour Five

Despite Gladio making some gil to add to their collective fund, Ignis still insists they can’t stay in that beautiful over-the-water hotel. Out of the question.

Hour Six

Prompto and Noct discuss pooling together their pocket change. Noct’s stupidly spent all his on fishing supplies, and there’s absolutely no way they’re able to meet the 10,000 gil cost for a hotel room together.

Hour Seven

“Forget invasive species, Noct is gonna ruin the ecosystem,” Prompto jokes. He’s gotten bored with his phone and is now just lying on the dock taking pictures of the clouds.

Hour Eight

Gladio returns with a magazine given to him by one of the tourists. It has an exclusive feature on Lady Lunafreya’s wedding dress.

“A feature on the wedding?” says Ignis, sounding intrigued as he looks over Gladio’s shoulder.

It’s caught Prompto’s attention, too. He lowers his camera and hops to his feet. He’s a little shorter, so Gladio adjusts his hold on the magazine to accommodate the two men on either side of him.

“Get a load of Lady Lunafreya’s dress!” Prompto exclaims breathlessly.

“That’s some fancy fabric work,” Gladio agrees. Noct’s surprised Gladio even cares about something so… so not something he thought Gladio would care about. Maybe they only care because they think Noct should care? Maybe they act like that because Noct _should_ care more? “Bet the groom can’t wait to see it on his bride-to-be.”

Noct keeps his eyes on the ocean in front of him, gentle waves moving his bobber up and down, golden sun setting and reflecting off the ocean’s surface in a shimmer that’s both breathtaking and blinding.

“Uh, he’s not the only one!” Prompto shouts enthusiastically. He’s almost thankful Prompto decided to speak, because it means that he doesn’t have to. “She’s gonna be an absolute knockout!”

“The dress is bespoke, of course, and comes courtesy of one of Altissia’s foremost fashion designers.” Of course Ignis knows that offhand. Or… maybe the magazine feature mentions it. Noct isn’t interested in stealing more than a casual glance over his shoulder to see what his friends are so enamoured with.

“Bet the food’s gonna be pretty damn fancy, too.” Thank god Gladio’s train of thought is moving the topic away from Luna.

“Meh, as long as it’s something I can eat,” Noct adds. Now that the conversation has steered from something uncomfortable, he finds his voice.

“As opposed to… dissect.” Ignis clucks, a wry and knowing smile on his face.

“Ugh, royally embarrassing.” Prompto jeers. “Man, I can’t wait to taste some Altissian seafood!”

“How about Duscaen tonight?” The way Ignis says it sounds more like a statement than a question. Knives effectively sharpened, he starts gutting the fish Noct has caught. “You can store the leftover fillets in the armiger, Noctis.” The way Iggy uses his full name leaves no room for discussion. Noct grunts in response.

Hour Nine

“It’s thirty gil to stay in the caravan!” Prompto groans. “ _Thirty gil._ ”

It’s almost night now, and Noct’s feet finally ache enough that he’s reluctantly sat down. It’s better to fish standing up; the line has a better angle. Fish like the upwards angle better, Noct decides, even though it’s completely arbitrary and based on observation bias.

“What? You got something against sleeping under the stars?” Gladio chides him.

“Uh, yes, one hundred percent, tons of somethings against! Like bugs, and uneven ground, and stiff necks!”

“It’ll build character.”

A pause, then a resigned whimper from Prompto.

“How could ya, big guy?”

“Look, all I’m sayin’ is there’s no way momma Iggy’s gonna let us spend gil right now. It’s not like being Lucian royalty means we got cash.” Gladio overemphasizes the words “Lucian royalty,” probably ensuring Noct heard it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Noct responds, waving a hand dismissively.

“Noct, buddy, c’mon. Fight for the caravan! Fight for us!”

“U-us?” Noct chokes out, looking behind him in shock. He meets Prompto’s eyes in the moonlight and a look passes between them. It's the same fearful, almost caught look that Prompto gave him last time Noct caught him flipping through his camera reel and found him stopped on one of the candids of Noct sleeping in the car.

Gladio roars with laughter and pats Prompto so hard on the back he might as well have been beating him. Prompto flinches under the touch like a chihuahua being pat by a toddler unaware of their own strength.

“I’ll leave you two to it.” With that cryptic statement, Gladio leaves to join Ignis at the haven, his hulking form a dark contrast to the way the runes glow.

Prompto doesn't say anything for a long time after that. Noct’s content to sit in silence, he just wishes it wasn't so damn awkward now.

Hour Ten

Noct hears a shuffling, then sees Prompto sit beside him. He’s discarded his boots, rolled up his pants, and dips his toes into the water. Prompto lets out a content sigh. Noct tries to keep his focus on the water, but he’s fairly sure that he’s fished the entire pool dry because he hasn’t had a bite in over an hour.

He steals a glance at Prompto, whose head is tipped up towards the sky. His feet are splashing water carelessly (no doubt scaring away all the fish) as he hums to himself. It’s a theme song that Noct recognizes from King’s Knight.  Noct feels an unsettling but familiar warmth seize his heart as he counts the freckles along Prompto’s cheek, a constellation he could connect with one swipe of his fingers. Unknowingly, his grip on the fishing rod loosens as Prompto steals the majority of his focus.

Prompto’s special. He's Noctis’ first real friend. If Noct was capable of love for its own sake, instead of kingly duty, he wonders of this fondness he feels for Prompto would blossom into something more. As it stands, entertaining that notion carries a bitterness akin to Ignis forcing brussel sprouts onto Noct's plate.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Prompto begins idly, voice low, almost a whisper.  
Noct hesitates before responding, warmth turning to ice and momentarily freezing his heart. He's almost scared of what Prompto has to say.

“’Bout what?”

“What’s warping feel like?”

Huh. That wasn’t what Noct was expecting. It's almost a relief. Noct isn't strong enough to talk about anything else right now.

“Feels…” Noct tries to find the words. “Feels tingly? And… kinda dizzy? The first time I did it, I almost puked. Dad said he did. Puke, I mean.”

“Oh my god, the King of Lucis yakking?” Prompto’s chuckle clings to each and every word.

“Hah, yeah.”

“He just seems - seemed - so kingly.” Prompto corrects himself quickly. Noct tries not to think about it, and instead thinks about the first time Prom saw his dad eat a donut. It was like he couldn’t fathom something so commonplace passing the king’s lips.

“Guess I don’t seem royal to you?”

“Naw, man,” Prompto says before he re-evaluates his words, then quickly adds: “That’s not what I meant! It’s just, you’re Noct, y’know?” then his voice softens. “I can’t really see you as anything else.”

Noct completely understands what Prompto means.

The fish aren’t biting, so he sets the rod down and it disappears in a bright flash of blue. The magic snakes all the way down to the line cast into the ocean, determined to capture the entirety of the rod, including the lure and the fishing line. Every bit that the magic consumes erupts in a scatter of blue shards. He’s mesmerized by the light; magically blue, ethereal, and reflected on the water’s surface as the line skirts the edge, then… underneath and swallowed by the dark depths.

There's a collision underwater, as the magic snaps and pulls, as if there’s a fish on the end of the line.  The armiger’s struggling to bring the last of the line into the aether. Noct leans forward, intrigued by this display. One final tug, one that Noct can feel deep within his being, like someone’s pulling on a phantom limb, and it pulls a fish up out of the water. Even from where they sit, the fish is huge, all muscle and reflective scales that bedazzle in the moonlight.

Accompanied by the magical glow of the aether, it’s beauty only magnifies as it splashes through the crest of a wave and disappears into the dark blue depths of the ocean.

“Woah,” Prompto says in absolute wonder. Noct’s always reeled in the line before he’s let the rod go. He’s never seen anything like that before.

“Dude!” Prompto’s voice raises in pitch. He’s getting giddy. “Did you see the size of that thing! Why did you let go?”

“Dunno, nothing was biting. Didn’t even feel a tug.” If Noct’s being honest, he wasn’t really paying attention anymore, either.

“That would’ve been epic! A real mortal struggle between man and fish!” Then he calms down, and leans back so his arms are propping him up. “Wanna go for a swim?”

“What? With that monster out there?” Noct responds incredulously. Swimming’s fine, but Noct hates when fish bump against his toes or seaweed tickles the bottom of his feet.

“Okay, okay, then can I try warping?”

“What?”

“Y’know, Kings can bestow that power on their underlings or whatever.”

“I don’t even know how to do that, Prom.”

“You don’t just... know how?”

“No, I think Dad talked about teaching me, but…”

“Ah, right, yeah... sorry.”

“’S okay.”

The conversation fizzles out. The boys aren’t talking, but the air isn’t silent. It’s filled with unsaid words, splashing water (courtesy of Prompto,) and the distant sounds of a territory brawl between daemons and Rubyshears, the beach’s own breed of giant crab fiends.

“So, wanna swim?” Prompto asks again. “Water feels nice.”

“Nothing to wear.” Noct doesn’t want to swim.

“Don’t need to wear anything,” Prompto says suggestively. Before Noct can even look over in mute horror, Prompto’s jumped to his feet. “Yeah... y-yeah!” He’s convincing himself, clearly. “This is classic road trip bro-bonding stuff! C’mon, Noct, please? For me? For your best buddy?”

“Thinking kinda highly of yourself, huh?” Noct jokes in good humour. He gets to his feet and stretches his aching muscles. He doesn’t love the idea of swimming, especially because they’re going to be sopping wet in the tent later, but… gods, he’s always been weak for Prompto’s expressions when he’s got his mind set on something.

“Skinny dipping, though? Are you serious?”

“Just once! Can’t do this when you’re hitched, right?”

Can’t do a lot of things once he’s married, like road trip with his best friends or spend quality time like this with Prompto. Noct sighs and starts undoing the ties on his glove. It’s the first item he removes. Once he does, he notices Prompto gulp. Noct thinks nothing of it, though, as he removes his t-shirt.

“What? Only I have to get naked?”

“No…” Prompto says in a small voice. “I just… what if someone sees us?”

“What happened to classic road trip bro-bonding?”

“It’s still valid! I just-”

“Prom, is this about your body?”

Noct can’t be described as the most in tune guy out there; he’s barely aware of his own feelings about life, about his wedding, about Prompto - all bubbling inside his mind and creating havoc for his thoughts. However, he understands those close to him. He’s taken pride in the fact that he understands Prompto, just not his own feelings about Prompto.

And he must have guessed right because Prompto just nods, and looks down at his toes, still wet from ocean water.

“Let me guess, you think you’ll look shitty beside me? ’Cuz I have good genes or good skin or something dumb like that?” Another nod from Prompto. “No one’s around. It’s night time. And you look good. I probably don’t tell you enough…” Noct trails off. Maybe he’s said too much. His eyes meet with Prompto’s, who looks surprised, then relaxed, then confident as he starts removing his clothes as well.

It’s awkward and fumbling; the boys try not to stare at each other too much when they’re finally down to nothing. Then Noct steps forward and takes Prompto’s hand in his.

“Keeping your gloves on? No fair,” Noct points out, but the look that crosses Prompto’s eyes causes his stomach to drop. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. You can keep them on.” Noctis has no idea why it’s such a big deal. He wants to question it. Honestly, the thought crosses his mind that he can just order Prompto to remove it, or tell him what his problem is, but that feels… cold. Cold even for Noct.

“You said you wanted to warp, right?” Noctis holds out his hand. “Hold on.”

“W-what?” Prompto barely has any time to speak before Noct’s summoned a weapon, then his violet-blue eyes widen in understanding; the blush on his cheeks making his freckles stand out.  
Noct readies his weapon with one hand; he’s thrown this thing plenty of times, but now that Prompto’s hesitantly interlaced their fingers together, he feels oddly exposed. It doesn’t help that he’s completely naked. He doesn’t have to throw it far anyway; it’s nothing compared to his earlier throw. Just a few metres out onto the water.

Noct squeezes Prompto’s hand in his, his skin feeling sweaty and clammy simultaneously. He throws the sword out over the dock. Noct doesn’t know how to bestow his warping on his retainers, and he probably isn’t as strong as his dad was, but… he can do this.

Prompto’s screaming the entire time. He’s probably going to wake everyone up. Noct’s laughing though. He can’t help it. He’s laughing the entire time they’re warping, even during the times Prompto manages to berate him (“Stop making fun of me, Noct!”) and then during the split second that they’re hovering over the water. Noct lets the weapon drop and it disappears again, the glow lighting up both their faces.

Prompto’s eyes are sparkling. He’s tearing up, likely due to the abruptness of their warp. Noct takes a second to appreciate how damn fond he is of Prompto, how he loves the complete trust in his eyes, how Prom would follow him to the end of the earth, if possible. Noctis remembers sadly that Prompto is following him to his own wedding; one Noct doesn’t even want, and one Prompto’s been oddly verbose about.

The warp jostled their bodies slightly, and they are now suspended mid air. Noct’s sweaty from the humidity and the warp leaves him feeling chilly and tingly as the wind caresses areas normally not exposed to moonlight. The boys keep their fingers interlocked, as if touching kept them afloat above the water. Noct tugs Prompto close as they descend, no longer held up by the magic of the moment, and they plunge into the chilly water below.

Eyes closed and ears muffled underwater, Noct’s face finds Prompto’s. Their noses bump, and their cheeks graze, and Noct realizes the fondness that’s been captivating his heart is probably something much stronger. He worries, for a moment, that Prompto doesn’t share the same fondness. It’s only for a moment, though; when Noctis feels feels soft skin nuzzling against his face, against his neck, and then settling for lips pressed against lips. It’s not really a kiss. Prompto isn’t really moving his lips, they’re just resting against Noct’s own comfortably. Then, Prompto’s wrapped his legs around Noct’s waist, and his arms around Noct’s neck, and Noct, aware now that they aren’t holding hands anymore, that his hands are free, finds Prompto’s hips and dips lower.

It doesn’t feel sexual. It feels reverent, like they’re using their bodies to express a deep, affectionate type of love that isn’t beholden to the light of day. Underneath the water, Noct feels untouchable and immortal in the way only someone in their twenties can feel. And Prompto… Prompto’s body is a warm contrast to the cold water surrounding them. They slot in so perfectly together that Noct wishes his lungs didn’t burn for air so they could keep existing in a world far away from society and expectations.

When they finally break the surface for air, they’re both gasping and smiling and stealing shy glances one another’s way.

Hour Eleven

As soon as they’ve padded close to the shore, to somewhere that they can stand comfortably while still bobbing in the water with the waves, Prompto edges close again. Noctis opens his arms. They hold each other, and share a real kiss, more than just a brushing of the lips. It’s slow, and salty from the seawater. Prompto’s lips are plush and pliant as he obeys a silent command from Noct’s tongue brushed against his lips. When they finally pull away from each other, a string of saliva connecting their mouths, Prompto speaks.

“Wow.”

“Yeah…” Noct’s just as speechless.

“Warping is awesome!”

“I... huh? Really?”

“We should do it again sometime.” Prompto’s hands slip around Noct’s neck confidently, fingers interlocking at the base of his hairline, and he pulls him in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Man, this was so different than my usual writing style. I prefer introspection but I don't see Noctis as a character who thinks too much because he's kind of afraid of his own responsibilities, so I tried to focus on other details. 
> 
> Also, I included the HC that Noctis can store other things in the armiger. I remember reading it in Asidian's fics, and really liked it. 
> 
> I'm [Blackprose](https://blackprose.tumblr.com/) on tumblr and [@LikelyRogue](https://twitter.com/LikelyRogue) on Twitter. Hit me up to chat or buy me a [coffee](https://ko-fi.com/blackprose)
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please read my other works!


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